The Boston Celtics beat the Hornets 112-92 before a sellout crowd of 18,624 at the TD Banknorth Garden on Friday night, overcoming a halftime deficit with a nearly flawless third quarter. The loss snapped the Hornets' five-game winning streak, and it came six days after they surged back in the fourth quarter to beat the Celtics at home.

Kevin Garnett had 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Celtics on Friday, while his teammate, Paul Pierce, finished with 27 points and nine assists. They combined for 16 third-quarter points in helping Boston outscore New Orleans 32-15 that period, during a time span that left Hornets forward David West with five fouls.

The Celtics gained half of their points in the paint, outscoring the Hornets in that department 56-30. Hornets point guard Chris Paul said those 56 points were the reason for the loss, and his coach, Byron Scott, criticized his team's defense.